The Darkest Hour
by ToxicSugarNinja
Summary: CHAPTER FOUR UP! Chapter Four: Nightmare-- A resonating voice full of tyrannical authority hissed in her face. “Foolish human. Willing or not, you will serve your master.”
1. Prologue: Guardian Angel

This is the alternate fic to my other story, Counterpart. The actual first chapter will be up as soon as I can post again. Let me know how you like it.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing that has not been spawned by my own twisted mind. This goes for everything in this story.

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Prologue: Guardian Angel

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord... I pray the Lord..."

Feeling frusterated and abandoned, the seven year old girl plopped right down in the middle of the golden field, the long stalks of weeds scraping against her little legs. Fresh tears welled up in her puffy eyes, rolling down her cheeks which were still beet red from the last bout of crying she had done. Too frightened to come up with any new strategies, she gave up searching for the right words to the prayer that made the monsters go away and hugged her purple teddy bear tightly. But just thinking about the prayer made her think of her mother and the sobs began.

Mommy didn't love her anymore and Daddy didn't care. She didn't want to go. If they took her, the people would put those ugly big stickers all over her, the ones without the smiley faces, and then they'd hook her up to this big beeping machine with wires attached to the "pinchies" that looked like clothespins. And some old lady would do it so she would miss and pinch her again and she would scream because it would hurt and Daddy would mutter under his breath and roll his eyes and say something to Mommy about the lady being too old but Mommy would be trying not cry because the dark man with the funny accent and the "stetheoscope" would come and say they'd "just like to run some tests." So then they'd take her to another room that was dark and she'd have to lie down on a bed that was too high and was covered in the rough crinkly paper. And a younger lady would stick more ugly stickers on her and rub that icky warm snot stuff all over her chest and another big machine would make funny swishy noises that lasted forever. And after all of that, Mommy and Daddy would take her to the McDonald's in the hospital and give her a happy meal and tell her she had been a big girl, even though she didn't want to eat it because it smelled too much like hospital. And late at night, Mommy and Daddy would "talk" and they would "talk" really loud and she knew they were yelling and she knew they were fighting, and she knew it was about her and it was about money. She had told them she didn't want to go see the doctors anymore, but they always took her anyway. And they would always fight.

She hiccuped, clasping her little hands and remembering what Daddy had told her about God. That even though the people at Mommy's church made you do that funny thing with your hands and said God won't listen unless you do that, that God would listen even if you didn't and you didn't have to talk out loud to him like the teacher made you do every Sunday with all the other kids. But then she remembered the time she prayed to God about her grandma and how grandma didn't get better. Her little throat tight, she did what Nonna had always told her to do and prayed to her Guardian Angel, the angel that was supposed to be with her all the times she went to the doctor's even though she never saw him.

"I'm sorry I'm a bad girl," she sniffed, not realizing she had been talking out loud. "Please protect me from the monsters and talk to God and make me all better if you can. And if not, then make my mommy and daddy happy. I don't want them to be sad and angry anymore."

Suddenly, a bright flash of light opened up in the night's sky. The little girl scrambled to be on her feet, staring at the spectacle in awe. As the light began to dull, little flakes of white slowly descended toward her, splattering gently onto her skin. Blinking, she crossed her eyes to examine the little cold puff of white that was melting quickly on the tip of her nose. Snow.

And then something happened that would change her life forever.

A young angel tumbled from the sky, landing none too gracefully before her. With his fall, the light in the sky seemed to close up as if the rift had healed. The little girl stared in awe, making a small note in the back of her mind that from now on, she would believe whatever her Nonna told her.

Lucemon blinked, struggling to keep his head from spinning. Where in the name of Fangloungmon was he? Finally able to focus, his gaze settled onto the tear-stained face of a small, somber looking girl. She was unlike any digimon he had ever seen, even for a humanoid. Unless the teddy bear she held loosely at her side was her form of defense and attack, releasing some unseen force, he highly doubted she was capable of protecting himself. Which... if she didn't have any powers, that mean that she couldn't be a digimon.

Wildly, he looked around the field, taking in the wide expansions of dead grass and beyond that, a black road and odd geometric structures that somewhat resembled houses, but each "house" was connected to the black road and was much too far apart from the others. His wings gave a small ruffled noise as he stood, his stance ready to deal with whatever may be hiding in the darkness of this strange place. So this was the human world. Interesting.

Startled, Lucemon abandoned his ready stance, stumbling a bit at the sudden contact. His arms remained in the air helplessly, not ever having dealt with such an occurrence before. The angel digimon blinked, completely stunned at the little girl clinging to him. "Uh..."

Her soft sniffles found a soft spot in him that he didn't even know he had. His heart was slowly breaking and he found himself unable to push her away as she clung to him and cried. At first he thought she was mewling, but from what he knew, humans didn't were capable of speech and surpassed such noises. It took him a moment to realize that she was, in fact, speaking words.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm so scared."

Before he even knew what he was doing, Lucemon found himself embracing her back, the feeling not as odd as he had thought it would be. In fact, it felt... right. He murmured softly in her hair, rubbing her back in calming useless circles as her soft crying sounded against his fluttering heart. "Hush little one. Shh, everything will be okay. You are safe now. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." As her crying faded, he smiled, finding her tiny, odd features to be strangely adorable. He brushed her bangs back from big, blue-green eyes, meaning every word of it. "I will always protect you."

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	2. Chapter One: Eau d'Uncertainty

Just a small note: Lucemon in the prologue was the rookie form while the lucemon amongst the seven demon lords is lucemon fall down mode. I'm making him unofficial leader of the seven demon lords even though in the DS game, belphemon is the last one you face. It makes more sense considering, you know, "Lucemon"="Lucifer". That, and according to the great (though often misleading) wikipedia, lucemon is the leader. BE AWARE: these are TWO different Lucemon. Also, neither of the two lucemon sound like a cyborg Izzy. ^_^ The rookie form has a boyish, sort of cool and airy voice while falldown mode's voice is the same tone only a deeper, man's voice. Enjoy! Please read and review!

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Chapter One: Eau d' Uncertainty

**Twelve years later...**

Gennai shuddered, dutifully awaiting an answer. The air about him was thick and heavy, lacking any clear temperature. It wove with the darkness, nearly suffocating him in several different ways. He silently wondered why the humans had often associated their concept of hell with fire when such a thing was often seen as pure and holy, cleansing even. For fire was only a form of light, wasn't it? And the stuff of nightmares only thrived on darkness.

"I do not like this."

All eyes fell on the large alligator-like digimon. The rows of ivory blades he called teeth were on display in a disgusted snarl. Gennai couldn't help the small shiver that ran up his spine at the slit, saffron eyes that glared at him. With a bass growl, the red beast continued. "How do we know that this being will not betray us?"

Atop his lofty throne, Lucemon cleared his throat. Gennai swallowed thickly, unnerved by the odd balance of grace and horror that the digimon seemed to emanate. Leviamon closed his eyes, silently wary of his master. He may hate and even fear the angel digimon, but Lucemon, despite his fallen status, terrified him more than any angel he had ever encountered for the soul purpose that no one, not even Lucemon himself, knew what his warped mind was capable of.

Hands clasped in a gentlemanly manner, Lucemon spoke with an air of majesty that left no question to his authority. "We may be of darkness and we may play dirty when the time calls for it, but we are lords and as such, adhere to honor as any other being." The angelic demon paused, his lips curled a bit as if even he were disgusted at what he was going to admit. "And there is no one more honorable than the digital guardians."

Lilithmon had been oddly silent for most of the affair, her arms crossed and a scowl pursing her painted black lips. Her wings gave an agitated ruffle with her outburst. "I do not approve of his choice in digimon!"

The remaining lords shared a knowing look, but only Beezlemon had the audacity to laugh outloud. The biker demon was relaxed in his seat, his feet kicked up on the riser before him. He opened his saffron eyes, sending the Dark Goddess a leery smirk. "Yea. We could all guess that."

Lilithmon glared at him, tapping her sharp gold nails threateningly. Gennai struck up the courage to intervene, not wanting that anger to be directed at him or his colleagues. "I assure you, we had nothing to do with their pairing. It was fate."

Belphemon gave a low growl, but was cut short by Lucemon. The angel lord carefully looked upon all his subjects, meeting Lilithmon's ire with a silent wrath of his own. "I believe he is adequate. He is very ambitious… or headstrong. But the digimon would require some of both to be able to protect the child."

Lilithmon, unable to quarrel with her master, looked away, allowing herself one indignant "hurrumph," but didn't dare to verbally protest.

Barbamon's eyes narrowed. The old wizard gave her a pointed look. "Silence, child. You do not question fate. No matter what quarrels you may have with it."

Beelzemon rolled his eyes, a bit bored with the whole conversation. He had places to be. "So, anymore complaints?"

Intrigued, Lucemon's eyes fell on Daemon, pointedly choosing to ignore Litlitmnon's uncharacteristic display of impudence and Beelzemon's all too frequent sarcasm."What say you, Daemon? You have met him, face to face. I believe that your opinion would be more... unbiased than our dear Lilithmon's."

Though Daemon was securely hidden in his cloak, Lucemon knew him well enough to be able to tell that a smile twisted the demon's face. "I suppose you could say we have met. He is… very selfish, very prideful," Daemon chuckled," and very stubborn." He gave a full laugh that shook Gennai down to his toes. "I think he represents us perfectly."

Amused at his companion's humor, Lucemon chuckled thoughtfully. "Very true, old friend." He then looked to the patiently waiting, yet visibly shaken, digital guardian. "And you say that they are already connected?"

Gennai shudered at being addressed by the most unholiest being currently in existance in the digital world. "Y-" he cleared his throat. "Yes. It is a very strong bond. Their emotions project onto one another. We speculate that the event happened quite a long time ago, but what with his background and the current instability in Holy City, it is very risky to locate such files on his past." There was no need to mention that he himself knew a few things about the digimon's past that wouldn't be in the Holy City records. But for all he knew, Lucemon might already have obtained that information.

Interest peeked, Lucemon curled a finger to his chin. "Fascinating. Then, you have my blessing, and our aid."

Gennai knew it was a dismissal, but his business wasn't finished yet. He worked up the courage to speak. "I have a request then… Lord Lucemon." The name and title felt incredibly wrong as it rolled off his tongue, but it had the desired effect.

"But of course."

He held out a small object which had been hidden safely in his robes like the dirty little secret it was. "His crest."

The Seven Great Demon Lords each made sounds of surprsie and disgust. Inside the tag was a sickly pink crest that signified doom to their home and their kind.

Lucemon, recovering quickly as always, stretched his great wings and jumped elegantly from his throne, only to land gracefully right in front of the young guardian. Hesitantly, Gennai let the crest tumble into the fallen angel's outstretched hand. Lucemon was a bit shocked that the crest hadn't reacted to his dark side. Then he discovered the problem.

"We are similar, then. Hm. Interesting." He handed the crest back. "I am not sure if there is anything I can do. It is most definately broken, otherwise it would have glowed in response to me. I theorize that when both child and digimon are reunited, the crest will mend itself to its own accord."

Beelzemon, now fully at attention from the chance of a crisis stared in disbelief. "But… boss… ain't that the crest o' light? I mean… ain't that the last thing we want?"

Feeling that his fear was not without reason, Lucemon gave the other lords a reassuring look. "The crest will respond to the pair and take on a new form. The darkness is too prevalent in them both for it to restore itself as such."

Having done what he had been sent to do, Gennai pocketed the crest, not wanting to spend another moment in this forsaken place. "Then I will be on my way. Thank you for all of your help." He gave a respectful bow to the lot of them and quickly turned to make his exit, not waiting for a response.

Lucemon, however, was not to be denied. "Of course… and Gennai?"

Hearing his name fall from such blasphemous lips, coated in some sweet poison, he froze.

Lucemon flashed a dashing smile, as if the guardian were looking him in the eyes. "I would like to meet them sometime in the very near future."

He remained still, listening to the thud of his frantic heartbeat.

Beelzemon's menacing chuckle wasn't the least bit reassuring.

Lucemon's honey-dipped voice did little to ease his fear. "I swear that no harm will befall them. It would be downright foolish and I am no fool. I am merely curious… and I should like to judge him worthy myself."

Gennai licked his lips, glad that he wasn't facing them."O… of course."

Lucemon chuckled, always content to smell a new perfume of fear. "Good day, Gennai."

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**Cleveland, Ohio, USA**

**1:53AM**

For the hundredth time that evening, Rachael crunched up a sheet of music and tossed it half-heartedly toward the garbage can. The little ball of paper bounced off the rim and landed onto the floor, mocking her. She growled. Here she was, fricking practicing and writing crap and where were the rest of her bandmates? Off partying. Off getting drunk, high, and possibly laid and here she was, half asleep over her beat up little Jackson with a novel's worth of papers scattered across her bed. They obviously didn't give a flying four lettered word about the songs, so why should she?

She sighed. She wasn't being fair. She was hungry, she was tired, and she desperately _needed _to get out of this apartment. It was slowly driving her crazy. And it's not like they all went without telling her. They had said no practice tonight. Hell, they had even asked her to come. Jay had practically begged her. It was her own fault she didn't go. Truth was, she didn't have the stomach, or the patience, to put up with all the drunk hoochies that were sure to be all over him.

Guitar in tow, she laid back against her pillow, too exhausted to care about the papers fluttering to the floor or the ones crunching under her legs. What did she care what Jay did anyway? He was a big boy. He could take care of himself. She closed her eyes, trying to shove away the image of him staggering out of some bar with some giggling fru-fru covered sleaze on his arm. So what? He could date... or sleep with whoever he wanted. She shouldn't care.

She sighed, her fingers absently touching the scar that started high on her chest. She traced it over her shirt, all the way down to her bellybutton. It's not like she was Jay's type anyway. She was hardly perfect.

Rachael opened her eyes for a moment, scanning her room for her old security blanket. A tuft of purple could be seen peaking out of a drawer. With difficutly, she made it off of the bed, absently setting her guitar against her nightstand. With a slight smile, she picked up the wornout teddybear from the one place Jay was forbidden to rummage through-- her underwear drawer. Plopping back onto her bed, she gently ran her fingers over the loose button eyes, the tufts of matted fur. It was funny how such a little bear had always made her feel safe. She never could remember why or when the teddybear had become so important. With a short laugh, she recalled the bear's name and the many fights she had had with her younger brother. Lucy was a boy and it was not a girl's name. She chuckled, falling back onto the bed with the bear cuddled in her arms. All the people she had heard of being called "Lucy" were definately girls, so where exactly she had concluded that Lucy was a boy was still a mystery. Her eyelids heavy, she just smiled. She had always been a weird little kid.

Still consumed by her current dilema, she snuggled Lucy up to her face like she had done so many times when she was young and needed comfort. She shouldn't care about Jay like that. But she did.

"Damn," she murmured, not really knowing who or what she was swearing at. But the weight of the curse word seemed to satisfy her.

Content, she drifted into dreamland, totally unaware of the small, red-eyed creature that was perched just outside her window.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Warning: there will be small traces of digimon naive cuteness in the next chapter. :)


	3. Chapter Two: A Deal With the Devil

Chapter Two: A Deal With the Devil

Seventeen year old Koushirou Izumi, dubbed "Izzy" by his peers, was busy upgrading Yolei's labtop when the message came. He idly installed the latest monitoring program he and Ken had developed to keep an eye on the digital world, trying his best to tune out Yolei's heated chatter. He wasn't quite sure what she was going on about but the phrases "Ken", "I can't believe", and "Just wait until I get my hands" didn't sound too good. Izzy sighed, the cheerful "ping" of his mailbox snapping him out of his daze. As he scrolled through his messages, the redhead smirked. Ken might be a genius, but the kid still had a lot to learn when it came to girls.

_From: _

_To: Digidestined_

Hm. Curious. Izzy clicked on the letter, a bit surprised that one could even leave an e-mail anonymous in such a fashion. He had assumed that the e-mailer's account automatically filled in the "from."

"Izzy. Izzy! Are you even-!? Hey..." Intrigued, Yolei looked over her friend's shoulder. "Whatchya reading?"

Shocked, the two computer nerds stared, engrossed in the short message.

Izzy swallowed, trying to locate his voice. "We gotta call the guys."

* * *

Hell. Purgatory. It was really the same thing wasn't it? Suffering for your sins. A punishment for all of the ill things you had done in life.

The roar of the waves against the shore had irked him at first. Now it had faded to a mere hush of background noise. Funny how things that would have bothered you so much in life meant so very little in death. It was worse than any fire and brimstone of the human hell; this emptiness. Here he was, left with nothing, filthy, beaten, and for once unable to develop a course of action. All he had was himself and this damned colorless shore to brood on. But he had nothing to think about. No elaborate schemes, no sinful temptations, he couldn't even recall a blasted piece of literature to save him from this madness. He had done so much thinking when he had first arrived that his mind was spent.

"Having fun?"

A bit startled at the presence of intelligent contact, the vampire snapped to attention. Quicker than the eye could process, he had abandoned his feeble crouched position and had risen to his feet, spine rigid and fists clenched at his sides. His cold, calculating eyes scanned the vast shore, shocked to see a forest that he would have sworn hadn't been there previously. A bit dumbfounded and not used to this feeling of confusion, he took confident strides towards the woods. He tried to speak, but his voice was too hoarse to produce words. He doubled over, fighting the dryness of his throat with a coughing fit. With a final clearing of his throat, his watering eyes scanned the forest for movement. He stiffened. There, leaning against a tree as if he belonged there, was a figure hidden beneath a faded brown cloak. At first, he was stunned, not knowing what digimon would travel in such an odd fashion, especially since they were trapped in a place full of villains. Why would you need to hide from fellow criminals?

A smirk crossed his bloodless lips as the stranger approached. Perhaps it was because he wasn't even a digimon at all. "Ah." He rose to his full height, his voice far less strained. But it was hard to be sarcastic when your entire body felt like you had been hit by a damned truck. "At last. I wondered when you would show up."

At being addressed in such a fashion, the figure smirked, carefully lifting back his hood to get a better view. What met his gaze jarred him for a moment. A once, neatly pressed uniform was caked in sand, chunks of cloth torn away, the left pant-leg missing from the knee down. Pale skin was covered in sickly blackening bruises, blood trickling from open wounds. If he didn't think a vampire could get any thinner, he would have thought that the creature had lost weight. The sunken skin in his cheeks was deeper, his boney structure making his face appear almost skeletal, the bones in his exposed calve prominent. Golden hair hung in thick, crusty strands across hollow eyes. It was longer, nearly to his shoulders, but it was so matted with blood and who knows what to tell. The guardian absently shook his head, trying to douse the small flame of pity that was burning in his stomach. He told himself it was just bile. He would never pity such a monster. No matter how un-like himself Myotismon looked.

The vampire in question, however, was unfazed, continuing his banter as if they were sitting in some pleasant place discussing the weather. Gennai blinked, thrust back into the reality of the situation. Well, at least not everything had changed. "Tell me, has your Holy Council decided my fate?"

Gennai sighed, cautiously making his way closer. "They are... rather preoccupied at the minute."

Myotismon's smirk was gone, hidden under a layer of false irritation and indignance. "Hmph. Can't even be bothered to condemn a crazed warlord these days."

Gennai merely watched as the vampire slumped against a tree, one ankle casually crossed over the other. That is, if you could call the graceful movement "slumping." Even in immense pain, Myotismon still managed to live up to his aristocratic title. Gennai grit his teeth as a torn glove was pulled away to examine sandy fingernails. Yes an aristocrat. And still a royal pain in the ass as always.

Not taking lightly to being ignored, Gennai crossed his arms and cleared his throat, shooting his adversary a pointed look. "This is serious, Myotismon."

Blue eyes found his, feigning innocence as best they could, having not known the emotion for quite some time. When he realized his act wasn't being bought, purple lips crooked into a twisted smile. "Of course. Forgive me for simply mentioning that they are rather lax in their enforcement. I don't have all day."

Gennai looked to the sky, silently praying to whatever righteous force that would listen to grant him patience. Damn. He should have known that without anyone to manipulate, Myotismon would jump at the chance of fresh meat. He had no time for these mind games. "You have all the time in the world. You are in purgatory aren't you?"

An eerie coldness slithered up the guardian's spine, tensing every muscle in his body. It took him a moment to realize that the feeling had actually been spurred by Myotismon's smug laughter. He swallowed a lump in his throat, thanking Fangloungmon that the Seven hadn't bothered to flaunt such power.

Myotismon once again seemed to take interest in picking out the dirt from his nails. "I'm not Catholic."

Gennai gave a sigh. Fine. If he wanted to play mind games, they were going to play mind games. "Have you wondered why you're still alive?"

It was obvious that the question startled him, but he recovered quickly, dismissing the question with a small wave of his hand. "I'm not alive."

"Yet you feel pain."

He shrugged, pushing away from the tree in a small show of interest. "This is hell. There is no life here. I will not die, but I will suffer. Isn't that your objective in condemning me here?"

Now Gennai was confused. "My objective?" He narrowed his eyes, a bit offended at the force behind the accusation. As if he would just condemn someone to the dark ocean. "No, you dug yourself into this hole, Myotismon."

But the demon lord was unabashed, prepared with a retaliation as always. The self-satisfied smile that tugged at his lips was unnerving. "And the sovereigns have dug their own."

Stalemate. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Gennai sighed, absolutely tired of hearing the sound escape his lips. "Very true. But who expected that beings of light could be possible of such treachery?"

"Oh, who indeed? They must all be pure because they are beings of light." Though the smile was gone, the angry glint in the vampire's steel blue eyes was chilling.

"It was an assumption that will never be made again."

With a rather ungraceful snort, Myotismon tossed his ruined glove to the ground. "It was discriminatory."

Gennai almost sighed again, but quickly caught himself. He felt so old at that moment. "Yes. It was."

"Hmph." Myotismon peeled back his remaining glove, giving it a sharp flick so it landed near its ruined mate. "Imagine that. The great Sovereigns."

Why was he wasting time? Did it really matter if he gave a rebuttal? The vampire would just find a new way to get under his skin. Gennai pinched the brim of his nose, scrunching his eyes at the oncoming headache. But that _had_ gotten under his skin. The sovereigns weren't bad digimon. "Everyone has their faults. You should know this yourself."

And of course came the witty comment. "Everyone has faults. But I am surprised to see that the holier than holy will admit to being proven wrong. Or is that why you are asking for my help? To take the fall?" Myotismon smirked, his fangs an unspoken threat as they flashed between his lips. "We both know that I would never-"

"And I wouldn't blame you!" There was a stunned silence until Gennai continued, a bit softer than his initial outburst. "Not for what they did to you."

He looked away, then scoffed. "I don't need your pity."

Gennai didn't know where he had gotten the courage, but he was suddenly in front of the towering vampire, glaring up into his menacing face."Let's get one thing straight."

A golden eyebrow shot up above the remains of his crimson mask, but Gennai ignored it. "I don't pity you. I will _NEVER_ pity you. You are a vile, malicious being who is far too selfish for his own good. But there is good in you, even if it's so buried by hate and apathy that it's too far down to see. It is your nature to be angry. You dark digivolved. I wouldn't expect you to be a merciful, joyful being. Even still, back in your youth, you were too intelligent and too caught up in your anger for your own good."

Myotismon snarled into the shorter man's face. "I'm not a child that needs to be chastised."

Gennai glared in turn, fighting not to say exactly what he was thinking: _Then stop acting like one._ "No. I'm just making my point."

He crossed his arms, leaning back from the guardian a bit in annoyance. "And that would be?"

Grinding his teeth couldn't stop him from the distasteful truth he was about to reveal. "That I respect you."

Colbalt eyes were wide. Myotismon stood, not liking that he had been caught off guard so many times in one day. But before he had a chance to even think of a reply, Gennai added, "And all I ask is that you do the same."

It was very quiet for a moment. Gennai had the feeling that the vampire was mulling it over. His deep voice shattered the silence."Fear me, you mean."

He shook his head."No, there are not many digimon I fear. Not you, not even Apocalymon."

Myotismon gave a short laugh. His nostrils flared as if he could smell the discomfort radiating from the digital guardian. "You lie. There are seven digimon who even your sovereigns fear."

And for the first time in the whole conversation, Gennai smirked. "I know… I have spoken with them."

Myotismon's voice was softer, intrigued. "You surprise me. They aren't the most honorable beings."

"No, but we all agree on one thing. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Hmph."

Gennai shrugged. "It surprised me to learn that, despite your evil ways, you have earned a name for yourself in other ways." He laughed. "Despite how hard you tried to squash the hopes and dreams of anyone you came in contact with, you were hope to others."

The golden arch climbed his pale brow once again, this time accompanied by his trademark smirk. "Hope? You do realize who you're talking to? You are sure that your mind is as youthful as your appearance?"

But Gennai was insistent. "You brought hope to the small and the weak of the dark digimon. As well as earned the respect of very powerful dark beings."

"How?" The vampire was clearly amused.

"Because of your ambition."

All sense of play gone, Myotismon furrowed his brow. "My ambition had countless digimon killed. My ambition drove even more out of their minds and forced them into servitude. My ambition nearly killed an eight year old girl how many years ago and countless other children years later. My ambition _killed _a man." As if to reinforce his last statement, an uncharacteristicly warm breeze fluttered across his skin. He grit his teeth, silently cursing Oikawa for the reminder. But he couldn't help shivering. "It doesn't seem to me to be a very admirable trait."

Gennai blinked, truly amazed. He smiled. "You feel bad about it."

"What?" At this, the vampire threw his head back and laughed. But it did not deter him.

"Say whatever you want, but it won't make a difference."

Myotismon rolled his eyes. "My ambition… peh…"

"It was strange. For as evil and hated as you are in the eyes of "good" you were a sort of dark knight if you will."

His lips twitched. Then the laugh came. But strangely, it wasn't full of ill intent. It was simply... amused. Gennai was admittedly a little curious as to what could make such an evil being laugh that wasn't at someonelse's expense.

"What?"

Myotismon shook is head, his matted locks whipping about. "Nothing. I've lost my bats." He stifled another chuckle, silently claiming that he deserved a good laugh and was merely delirious. He smirked. "For a humanoid being, you aren't as up to par with human culture as you should be."

Gennai raised an eyebrow, still not getting the joke. "And you are?"

He shrugged, once again a master of grace. "If you haven't noticed, it's sort of impossible for me not to be."

This is why he had come. Gennai listened intently."Oh?"

Myotismon coughed, looking away. Gennai labeled the action as his way of displaying nervousness."I've... had a lot of contact with the human world."

Gennai gave up all attempts at subtlety. "You aren't just talking about Japan, are you?"

They were left staring at one another for almost a minute of silence. He wasn't going to answer, so Gennai didn't let up. "I know your secret, Myotismon. She needs you. And like it or not, you need her."

He looked a bit perturbed, but confused. "Who?"

Gennai wasn't sure if he was pretending anymore, but the plain confusion on the vampire's face was compelling. "Some centuries ago in our world, you were transported to the human world and came into contact with a young girl. It was said... as declared by the Holy Council-"

Ah, this he did remember. Myotismon's hate filled stare stopped Gennai in mid-sentence. "Enough. We both know of these matters. There is no need to speak of them."

"Re-live them you mean?"

Once again, Myotismon gave an uncharacteristic snort and looked away, his arms crossed.

"Do you remember why you were convicted?"

The look he gave Gennai could freeze ice. "I remember what I was convicted of, but as to why... I have my speculations."

A small moment of unspoken agreement passed between them. There were a lot of things that should not have happened because of the holy council.

"She needs you, Myotismon."

Myotismon took a step toward him, the movement slightly threatening. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember..." But he couldn't finish. A sharp pain was pulsing in his head. He gently brushed the ache with his fingers.

Gennai's voice was encouraging. "And I ask again, after so many failed attempts, after so many brushes with permanent death, why are you still alive?"

He paused, gingerly rubbing his head. Then he stopped. His cold eyes were still, looking to the ground, but seeing nothing. "You seem to know."

The guardian shifted his footing, uncomfortable. "You were supposed to be reborn in primary village, but you were sent here by the holy council."

Suspicion clouded the vampire's eyes. "Reborn? But my programming was... I thought that was why I was sent to the dark ocean, because I could not exist on that plane of the digital world any longer."

Gennai crossed his arms, his expression was serious. "If you were an average digimon, you would be gone, nothing but scattered data, broken down to the point where you couldn't reginerate no matter how much energy you obtained."

"What are you suggesting? That I am not normal?" He chuckled. "I have come to terms with that fact many y-"

"Chosen digimon cannot die."

Myotismon stood rigid, his eyes wide for a moment. Then his stillness crumpled and he was... laughing? "You do realize who I am?"

Gennai smiled slightly, happy to get that off of his chest. "Better than even you, i think."

He was still laughing. "Your sovereigns have lost their minds."

"If it were up to them, you wouldn't be in existance right now."

The laughter ended abruptly, leaving the vampire silent and curious. Gennai felt the need to explain. "When the two of you met, you sort of... bonded with her, on an actual, physical level."

The look of absolute shock and revulsion was priceless. "I'm not that twisted."

"OH... um.. NO!.. no.." A slight blush filled Gennai's cheeks. "I mean that... somehow, some way, just as Agumon and Tai created a bond... as did you and this child. And as of now, she is in great danger if the holy council finds her."

The demeanor the vampire now wore was not what Gennai expected. Any other digimon who had just found out that a child's life was in his hands would be frightened, angry, willing to help. But not Myotismon. He looked... as if it were a mere waste of his time. "And why should I care?"

Gennai knew now that the only form of pathos that would appeal to the vampire's blackened heart would be the fear for his own life. "Because she's the reason you're alive to begin with. The two of you are linked. If not for her sake, then in this one thing I implore you to be selfish and do it for your own sake. If she dies then you are lost." A little threat didn't hurt either. "You'd be stuck here, forever, that is... until the Holy Council finally does get around to your sentence." He swallowed, knowing that this was going to come back to kick them in the ass, but he would do as Azoulongmon had bid him to do. "And if you save her, you will be cleared of all of your charges... And will be left free to roam the digital world once again."

He knew he had him when that awful cat-who-ate-the-canary smirk crossed his face. Only Myotismon didn't eat canaries. He dined on much juicier and much more human prey. "Well... shall we go, then?"

Gennai swallowed, secretly nervous for the child who had to deal with him. Fangloungmon help him. He had just struck a deal with the devil.

* * *

Okay. If there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. I really hate this spell check. If I forgot to mention before, Fangloungmon is supposedly the digimon who created the digital world and his higher up than even the soveriegns, but he is sort of a myth because there isn't much on him. And if you didn't get the little joke about the dark knight... yeah, it was batman. And if you are wondering just how the heck Myotismon knew about batman, he was in Japan chasing kids for a few days, probably researching them sometime before them. So yeah, once or twice, comicbook heros might have came up. I have a twisted mind. Leave me alone. :) Please review!


	4. Chapter Three: You've Got Mail

toxicsugarninja: I'M ALIVE!

Sorry for the extended delay. (*looks sheepish*) I seriously meant to update soon, but this chapter was really stumping me. I changed it about three times and I've finally got it to a decent length. I also have some medical problems going on right now and that on top of college is really wearing me out. Thankfully, in May, this will all be resolved and I won't be disappearing for weeks at a time without updating. (With the intention that this fic WILL last until May.) I have chapter four already written and tweaked so you won't have to wait a millenium for the next chapter. :) It should be up Wednesday/Thursday. And please excuse the cheesey chapter title.

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Chapter Four: You've Got Mail

Yamato Ishida was used to the unexpected. But somehow, things still managed to catch him off guard. One second he was sprawled across his couch lazily watching a soccer game with his friends and the next thing he knew, there was trouble in paradise once again.

Matt sighed as Izzy barreled through their small get together, not really minding as much as his guests. Sports were okay, but in all honesty, he was glad he wouldn't have to sit through yet another forty-five minute game.

The redhead, still panting, dodged an empty soda can being launched at his head.

"Aw man! I missed the shot! Izzy!"

"Izzy, you're blocking the TV! What's going on?"

"My popcorn!"

Finally able to recover his breath and damning his horrid athletic abilities, Izzy glared at the three teenagers sprawled across the floor. Davis was scrambling to pick up the spilt bowl of popcorn, Veemon "helping" as he shoveled wad after wad of the white fluff into his mouth. TK appeared a bit miffed, but seemed genuinely interested more than anything. It wasn't until Izzy's eyes rested on Tai's glowering form that he knew who chucked the can.

Exasperated, he threw his hands in the air, straining to raise his voice over the distracting cries of the televised fans. "You guys, this is serious! I got an e-mail from the digital world."

A collective sigh hissed through the group, human and digimon alike.

Matt resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he flipped down the volume and sat up, giving Ken more room on the couch. "So what does Gennai want this time?"

The computer whiz scratched his chin, a slight tension in his brow. "That's just it. The e-mail I received didn't have a sender. But it definitely doesn't sound like Gennai."

Ken, who had been quiet for a majority of the time, seemed to have struck an idea. "E-mail…"

Wormmon knew that tone of voice. He eagerly looked up from his place on the boy's lap. "Ken?"

Davis gave up on locating all of the popcorn kernels and plopped down on the couch right between Matt and Ken (much to their discomfort). "How do you know it's not just spam?"

Izzy smirked. "It was addressed to the digidestined. Unless the spyware is getting that intrusive, I don't see how any advertising company could know that information.

TK scratched his head. Forgetting that Patamon was perched on top his head, he was surprised when fingers met fur. "Oh, uh, sorry Patamon." However, his apology wasn't needed. The little digimon was sound asleep. TK shrugged and continued his train of thought. "Maybe it's Diaboromon again."

Ken nodded, the same thought having crossed his mind as well. But the look of unease on Izzy's face gave him doubts.

"I don't think so. It seemed far too cryptic, even for Diaboromon. And besides, Diaboromon would technically have an e-mail address if he's part of the internet. If you remember, that's how we were able to slow him down the first time we fought him. This, however, was just sent right out of the blue."

Hmm, so that theory was out. Ken's eyes narrowed. The ex-boy-genius really didn't like having to pry for information, but he had learned a long time ago that he had to be patient with this group. "So what did it say?"

"I could show you guys if you want. I forwarded it to everyone's inboxes just in case."

A sudden burst of cheering snapped everyone's attention to a dancing Agumon and Veemon. "Goal! Goal! Haha!"

Tai grumbled to himself. He missed another shot. Why couldn't he just have a normal life now? "This had better be good."

* * *

Cleveland, Ohio. 4:21 AM

Jayden Giovanni Rossi Crippen was handsome. His hazel eyes were a rich mix of earthy tones, even if they were glazed over and outshined by pulsing red sclera. His rebellious, raven-feathered hair was stringy with perspiration and rain, sticking to his sun-kissed skin wherever it could. Artist's fingers fumbled with a set of keys. His brow knotted in concentration. Finally able to stick the key into the lock, a smirk crossed cupid bow lips. He stumbled into the apartment. Yes, Jayden was beautiful. Even when he was drunk off his ass.

"RACHIE!"

He teetered into the apartment, leaving the front door wide open. He winced at the volume of his own voice. The hum of the computer was all that answered him.

He shrugged, musing that she must be sleeping. With a devilish grin, he quietly closed the front door. He would surprise her once his hangover wore off.

Curious as to what she had been doing, he allowed himself to shake the computer mouse. He was a bit confused when his e-mail account popped up on the screen. What was she doing going through his stuff?

Glaring against the harsh glow of the computer, Jayden seated himself at the desk. Hangover or not, he was going to find out what the hell was going on.

He scrolled through his in-box, straining to remember what letters he had opened already and what might have been tampered with. He stopped as he came across an un-opened message with the subject "Egg." He blinked, flabbergasted.

"This belongs to you." He smirked and clicked on the attachment. Then he went to seek out something for his damned headache before the file loaded.

Returning a few minutes later with a bottle of Nyquil, Jayden was all set to plop back down before the computer… until he noticed the large egg in his seat. He stood for a moment, completely shocked. He looked at the bottle of Nyquil, then the egg.

"Uh… what the hell did I drink and why hasn't it worn off yet?"

He set the bottle on the desk without even cracking it open. Hesitantly, he picked up the egg. Even in the dark he could see that it was in fact what appeared to be a large Easter egg. It was white with intricate purple designs of suns and moons all over it. What the hell was going on?

Still dumbfounded, he looked back to the computer screen, searching for some kind of answer. Only two words met his eyes.

"Rub me?" Jay shook his head, laughing. "Rub me? Seriously?" He chuckled and carried the egg with him down the hallway.

"Okay, Rachie! Funny. What is this? Some kinky Easter joke?"

When he didn't receive an answer he barged into her room, expecting to see the blond smirking at him.

Papers were scattered all over the floor and the bed. Her guitar was leaning halfheartedly against her nightstand. It had looked like a small whirlwind had blown through the room.

Jayden blinked.

The room was empty.

"Rachael?"

He entered cautiously, hoping that at any moment she would jump out and surprise him.

Nothing.

He swallowed thickly, unnerved by the knot forming in his stomach and the suffocating darkness that seemed to flow from the corners of the room. Absently, he picked up a purple teddy bear that had been carelessly tossed on the floor. Lucy. She wouldn't have left it out. She hated it when he teased her about the stupid thing.

He let the bear fall to the bed with a soft thud. His fingers absently brushed over the egg's shell as he let it all sink in. He had gotten a weird e-mail. He found a giant egg. His migraine was killing him. And to top it all off, Rachael had seemed to have vanished.

He sighed, unaware of the spiderweb of cracks that began to form underneath his fingers. Was he really that drunk?


	5. Chapter Four: Nightmare

**toxicsugarninja:** okay, so the last chapter was a little short and extremely filler-y. I get that there wasn't much to review on, but it's nice to know that people are still reading this (if that's the case). Even if you think the chapter's not as great as it could have been, I'd appreciate some constructive criticism. Also, sorry about the little mix up! I just caught it! The last chapter was CHAPTER 3 and this one is CHAPTER 4--- i fixed it, but if you were confused before, i hope this clears things up. This chapter is sort of the aftermath of my writer's block finally cracking--- a fair warning to the flood of detail that's about to follow. I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter Four: Nightmare

The clouds were thick and gray as they stretched across the sky. Or maybe it was the sky itself, having never seen the sun or a speck of stardust. And below that gloomy excuse of space, laid an expansion of ocean. Dark water fought to kiss the sky and the sand was bland and cold. There were no Caribbean colors in a place so cold and desolate.

Rachael wiggled her toes in the cold sand. Yeah, it was definitely sand. She had only been to an ocean twice in her life and the experience had always carried a sense of beauty and warmth to it, despite the grime of the shore. But this was far from what she had observed of the ocean. Given, that she had never been to an ocean at night, but she had always imagined it to be decorated with a deep blue sky and the light of dancing stars. Not these colorblind shades of gray.

A cool breeze swathed through her hair, tossing it with reckless abandon. She shivered. What was this place? And how and why was she here? She closed her eyes, plopping right down on the beach and striving to find comfort in the situation. A "happy place" had never really worked for her. With her wild imagination, she felt it was sort of unfair, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She took calm breathes and let the wind roll over her skin. This place was lonely. Hell, it _looked_ lonely. But what was so bad about being alone? At this her tension eased. She was alone. And if she was truly alone, there was nothing there that could hurt her. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. And with that looming note, she opened her eyes.

Shock stopped her heart for a second or two, doubling the beats to make up for lost oxygen soon after. She stood, her attention fully captured by what appeared to be a beam of light shooting out from the murky waters. She swallowed her pulse and cautiously padded toward the sea. She felt drawn to it. And if this was a dream, albeit a very realistic dream, then she needed to investigate to get out of here. She stripped of her sweatpants, tossing them halfheartedly onto the shore behind her. She was dreaming. She could very well swim naked if she damn well wanted to. And if for some reason she wasn't dreaming, well, at least she wouldn't have been weighed down and risked drowning. She wadded into the water, surprised to find the soft ocean floor to be just as cold if not colder than the bare shore. And odder still, everywhere she stepped was smooth and undisturbed by neither stone, nor creature. It was as if no life had survived this beach. She swallowed, bracing herself for the cold impact as she tossed her hair up into a tight bun.

_Well, here we go._

And with years of swimming expertise under her belt, she expelled all her air and dove toward the bottom. The water was too murky to see clearly, but the light was too bright to ignore. She gave a few forceful kicks, struggling to stay underwater as her lungs began to crave more air. At last, her hand snatched out to claim her rather tiny prize. And just like that, the light was gone. And she was trapped.

She slammed her feet against the ocean floor, propelling herself upward. But no matter how hard she kicked and struggled, it seemed that the effort was futile. She couldn't tell if she was nearing the sky or if she was moving much at all. It was like the ocean was rising with her, fighting to bury her back down to the sand below. Her lungs ached and a shrill voice in the back of her head shattered any remaining serenity that she had harbored. "You're going to drown!" It screamed. "You're going to die."

She took in a gulp of air before she could stop herself, sputtering on what was most definitely not pure oxygen. Tears drizzled from out the corners of her eyes and were lost to the sea as instinct took over and she shot through the current like a bat out of hell. And as her vision blurred, she beheld two glowing red spheres floating beside her. Something slick and strong coiled around her leg, tugging her back down into the abyss. She was vaguely aware of odd warmth radiating from the little device in her hand. The next few moments happened in a rapid and blurry sequence. There was a bright light accompanied by one of the most horrid noises that she had ever heard in her life. Then the coil was gone and she was airborne for but a moment.

Rachael coughed, her lungs striving to expel the water from her system. In a desperate attempt, she vomited, the water leaving her stomach as well. Her heart thundered in her chest and she struggled to focus as the last few drops of water dribbled out of her nose. Drowning, she mused, would most definitely be one of these worst ways to die.

Her hazy eyes fell on the small metallic device before her. Swallowing the bitter taste of sea water, she reached toward the small treasure. What was it? And what was with that light? Hesitantly, the pads of her fingers pressed against the smooth screen of the device. Before she could inquire as to why it was so warm, a slight pressure bore down on her hand and she was staring face to foot at a large and what appeared to be leather boot. Rachael nearly choked; coughing up a small amount of water that she hadn't thought was left. She took a slow, thoughtful blink, the water fluttering off her long eyelashes. The boot was black and seemingly normal with the exception of a metal skull plate tacked onto the vamp. She had to admit it was pretty cool, but seeing any symbol of death in such an abysmal place screamed trouble.

"ROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEAAAH!"

The boot was gone and she found herself giving this new stranger her back in order to face the horrid monster before them. Whoever was behind her, if it wore shoes, chances were it was more intelligent and more rational than a sea monster. She stood, brushing off a small bout of dizziness. Her shoulders tensed as from the water arose a giant beast. She swallowed; eyes wide as she stared at something she had only thought existed in myth. Large tentacles whipped about in a frenzy, some white, some nearly black. Rows of jagged teeth were on display, a giant white tail slamming into the water in rage. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in any sort of movie. But those glowing red eyes brought a very simple and very accurate name to her mind. Water demon.

It was then that the monster grew still and those crimson eyes glared at her with something so akin to hate that it was astounding. If this thing hated her for whatever reason that meant it was much more complex than she had thought. And ultimately, much more dangerous.

"Darkness water!"

The dark sea boiled and rose to a horrible swell. Rachael could only stare, wide eyed and fearful at the hundred foot tall tsunami rolling toward her. She had no time to run and shock forbade it. She could only watch. Arms were thrown around her, one draping what appeared to be some sort of red cloth. The other crashed her suddenly against a very bony and very male body. The roar of the water was deafening. She thought he spoke, but all sound was lost. Helplessly, she closed her eyes tight. So this was it? This is how it would end? She was going to drown or die from the force of impact with some stranger who she hadn't even fully seen. This couldn't be real. She couldn't die like this.

Comforting warmth snapped her attention to her fist. Curious, she uncurled her hand, surprised to see the little device pulsing with a faint light once again. The stranger uttered a pained sound of disgust. But despite his resentment of the object, thin pale fingers cautiously ran over the tiny screen. It was then that something peculiar happened. The soft light ceased and a beam of jet black shot from the device, spouting out to encompass them in what Rachael could only describe as some sort of force field. The water thundered over them, falling all around them as if they had some sort of super umbrella. When it was over, the stranger retracted his hand only to perch it on her hip in an unnerving display of possession. He lowered what Rachael now guessed was some sort of cloak. She cringed a bit, not at all liking the closeness, but she supposed it was better than being monster chow.

The water demon bared its teeth, not at all pleased. It gave a short snort of distain and sunk once again into the deep dark ocean.

There was a small moment of silence where Rachael tried to piece her mind back together. She felt the need to say something, to ask about a million different questions to this entity, but all that came out was, "Well, you don't see that everyday."

Deep rumbles resonated in the man's chest. A shiver shot down her spine at the sound. Her throat was suddenly dry. Oh, yeah, the skull was definitely not a good sign.

She tactfully tried to wiggle away from the unwanted grasp, but it proved to be much more difficult than she imagined. Fingernails sent a sharp warning into her hip. Well, she supposed that if that's how he wanted to be, a thank you wasn't merited. She wrenched herself from the man's grasp, not even caring about subtlety.

Before she could blink, she was seized and whirled until she smacked against a broad chest, the shock of the movement sending the small device to fly from her hand. She was yanked to her tiptoes none too gently, too short to face her abuser. He bent to her height, his face next to hers. A bony cheek slid against her face, smeared with something flaky and reddish. Rachael struggled to catch her heart before it burst from her ribs. Golden wisps of hair fell across her eyes as a deep voice unlike any she had heard murmured into her ear.

"What is a girl like you doing out here all alone?"

She had no answer for that. It was too unexpected. She would have laughed and denounced it as one of the corniest and creepiest pick up lines she had ever heard if not for the man's less than hospitable demeanor.

And then something happened that she could not let go. Dry, velvet lips pressed lightly against the hollow where facial bones ended and neck began. The sensation sent an electrical current through her and a shocked gasp spilled from her mouth. Her body tingled, aching for the carnal pleasure that such actions promised. But her mind was shooting messages of fear to her heart. A teasing nibble triggered a reaction that she hadn't even known was really possible in the human body. She had heard that everyone had their "spots," or rather, places that when taunted would trigger such feelings and even reflexive movements. She had never taken it seriously. Fear reared its ugly head at the notion that a complete stranger knew more about her body than even she did. Worse yet, he knew how to manipulate it so easily. But as her knees gave out and long arms supported her weight, she was too lost in euphoria to acknowledge it. The stranger played upon _that_ spot one final time and she was his. Her head lolled to the side in a silent offer and her eyelids fluttered. She was floating in some space between consciousness and dreamland, helpless as lips wandered further down her skin.

It was the hard, wet press of teeth that slammed her back into her body. She was fighting back before she even knew why she was so afraid. Her fists pounded into his back, nails finding an unguarded patch of skin near his shoulder where blue cloth was missing. The stranger flinched, but it seemed to be merely of shock rather than true pain. The teeth were gone and a merciless hand curled in her hair, pulling it taut until she yelped. She was ripped back to stare up, wild eyed at her attacker.

This wasn't a dream…

His eyes were a deep sapphire, but while a gem sparkled with light, they held nothing but coldness and despair. She felt chilled to the bone as she fell into those dark, blue, blue eyes so full of apathy. His face was all angles, hollow as if he were anorexic. Thin lines wormed their way over his nose, running together to curl back up underneath his left eye. They were scars, but so faint that she hadn't been sure on first glance. But it was not the scars, his gaunt features, or even those haunting eyes that shook her. It was a pair of dainty white fangs that flashed threateningly as purple lips receded into a snarl.

A resonating voice full of tyrannical authority hissed in her face. "Foolish human. Willing or not, you will serve your master."

… it was a nightmare.

He struck like a snake. Pale blue eyes were wide, staring at nothing as a sharp, ungodly pain racked through her nerves. Bloodless lips expertly worked the skin, mouth greedily nursing the wound. It was such an odd feeling, to have her life literally sucked right out of her body. But she had little time to marvel it as a scream tore from her throat.

The vampire held her closer, relishing the sound of her cries as he fed. He mentally smirked when they stopped and his victim was left limp, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Sated, he pulled back, sweeping up a few precious drops with a swift flick of his tongue as they bubbled from the wounds. He hadn't tasted human blood in so long. Data sustained him well enough, but blood… How could he pass up such an opportunity? He closed his eyes, lost in her flavor for a moment.

Neither were aware of the small dark light that pulsed dimly at their feet.

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I hope it was entertaining, despite the lack of dialogue. :) Please READ and REVIEW!


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